RE: [Leica] Trade off between film and lens speed

["Steve Unsworth" <mail@steveunsworth.co.uk>]

Peter

Well personally it all depends on the light and whether I want to use
the Nocti wide open. For example if you look at...
http://www.steveunsworth.co.uk/PAW/week_25alt1.htm
Or
http://www.steveunsworth.co.uk/PAW/week_25alt2.htm

Both were at f1 and I used Delta 3200 at 1600 ASA because the light was
so bad (exposure was about 1/30th of a second). Normally the first
question I ask myself is do I _want_ to use the Nocti at f1 - this is
very subject dependant - and then what is the slowest film I can use
with the camera hand held (in practise this means 1/30th or faster). So
I guess there is no simple answer :-)

Steve

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Peter
Klein
Sent: 15 July 2002 23:25
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Trade off between film and lens speed


Ted brought up an interesting issue regarding the Steve Unsworth's 
wonderful "Girl Talk" pictures:
http://www.steveunsworth.co.uk/PAW/week_27alt4.htm

Sometimes with available light pictures, we have a choice of using an
f/2-ish lens and fast film, or a very fast lens and slow film.

Ted--and anybody else--how do you deal with these trade-offs?  And if
anyone's got examples of similar scenes with a 'Noct or f/1.4 lens, vs.
faster film with a 'Cron, please post 'em.

To open the discussion:
Here's a couple of pictures I took on XP-2 at 400 and my 50/1.4 LTM
Nikkor from the 50s (I've posted them before as PWIFLIs).

   http://www.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/charlie_xmas.htm
   http://www.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/paula_harpo.htm

All were taken in the same room at 1/60 @ f/1.4

Now, suppose I'd taken the same pictures:

A.  With a Noctilux, 1/30 @ f/1.0 on 100 film like Delta 100
B.  With Neopan 1600, 1/60 @ f/2.8
C.  Same exposure, using a modern 50 Summilux or Voigtlander Nokton 
instead of the old Nikkor.

How much would I have gained or lost in image quality? We've got two
factors going here, the lens' performance wide open vs. the extra grain
and loss of detail of faster films.

For instance, I don't have much textural detail in Charlie's eyebrows or
Harpo's fur.  If I went to 1600 film, I would gain the resolution with
the lens, but might lose it with the film, and I'd have more grain.

(BTW, the window behind the first s double-pane.  So the bokeh of the
50/1.4 Nikkor is not as bad as it looks here)

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA

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